Although Setting Free the Bears has some great moments of inspiration, their build-up is rather dull and weak. But the book poses good questions about youth, its energy, its foolhardiness and its contradictions, and its answers are quite problematic. ( )

well, first off: i love john irving, so i started reading this book already loving it. it took me a little longer to get into this book than his others, but it was still a good one. being his first book, you can tell he's being cautious and holding back. there were many moments where i expected more from the situation and while there were hints of his normal themes (lack of father, lust, etc.)they weren't as strong as they normally are. i'm also unsure if i completely understood the book. i mean, i think i have an idea about what it was "about," but i just don't know... what's really weird is how many dreams i had that contained things from the book. i cant tell you how many dreams i've had over the last few weeks that took place in germany during or around ww two... then, to top it off i was watching the news the other day and the lead story had to do with an escaped black bear running around people's backyards... really, what are the chances? all in all, this was a good book, but not one of my favorite john irving books. ( )

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithac... ( )